


Her Name

by 12hats



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-07 11:23:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/12hats/pseuds/12hats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Tuttle, her name was Rose Tuttle. She kept reminding herself of her name. She was scared she would forget it. That was almost more frightening than the apocalypse that she found herself in. She didn't want to lose herself while the dead were roaming the earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her Name

Rose Tuttle. Her name was Rose Tuttle. Her name was Rose Tuttle and she was lost in a forest. Her ankle had been injured at some point, she didn't remember how it happened, but obviously something had happened. She wouldn't be dragging her right foot behind her if her ankle was okay. Her jaw felt very strange. It really felt as though her jaw was no longer attached to her face, but she couldn't bring herself to feel her face and see if her jaw was still there.

She couldn't remember how long she had been in the forest, but it felt like months. She could hear voices. She was following them. She knew that she needed medical help and she hoped that whoever she was hearing would help her. It was a lot to hope for, especially with the world the way that it was, but Rose had always been an optimist.

Rose Tuttle, her name was Rose Tuttle. She kept reminding herself of her name. She was scared she would forget it. That was almost more frightening than the apocalypse that she found herself in. She didn't want to lose herself while the dead were roaming the earth.

The voices sounded louder than before. Rose was getting closer to the people. She hoped desperately that they were friendly and kind.

“Go on, Carl.”

That voice was familiar. It sounded like her old neighbor, Rick Grimes. He had been the sheriff before the dead came back to life. Rose had heard he had been injured in the line of duty, he had apparently been shot. She was glad to find out that he was alive. And, it sounded like his son Carl was with him. Rose remembered Carl Grimes. She used to babysit him whenever Rick and his wife Lori wanted to go out. Carl was a sweet boy, Rose genuinely liked being around him. She was even happier to hear his voice than she was to hear Rick’s. She wondered if Lori was with them.

Lori Grimes had been like the mother that Rose never had. Rose had lived with her father before the dead came back; her mother had died in a car accident when Rose was just a baby. Her father had done his best, but Lori had always been there when Rose needed advice about more feminine things. Rose hoped Lori was still alive.

Rose was beyond happy that she knew the voices she had been following. She knew that Rick would never turn her away. He was too kind, too caring.

Rose… What was her last name? It didn't matter. Rick was nearby and he would help her. He would have to, wouldn't he? Rose didn't have any family left. Her father had fallen to the dead not long after they had risen. And Rose was sure that Carl wouldn't let Rick turn her away. Carl had once told her that she was like his sister. Surely, if Rick didn't want Rose around, Carl could convince him.

And Rick’s wife…what was her name?...she would also plead Rose’s case. She cared about Rose almost as much as she cared for… Why couldn't Rose remember that little boy’s name? No matter. Rose would see him soon enough and his face would jog her memory. She would remember his name when she saw him.

After all, the…whatever that family’s name was…they loved her. They had invited Rose and her father over for dinner all the time. They would want her to be safe.

Rose tripped and fell over a root that was protruding from the ground. Thankfully, she didn't feel any pain. It took her longer than usual to get back up from her fall. She assumed it was her bad ankle that was slowing her down and shrugged it off. She would hopefully be getting some medical attention soon.

The voices were closer now, they were so close. Rose could almost see the family that she once knew. She could hear other voices around them, but that family was nice. They wouldn't be with a group of bad people. The parents wouldn't allow it. They wouldn't want their son around bad influences, not even with the dead walking around.

She shuffled closer to the voices. She could almost taste the family now. She could see where the line of trees ended. She saw the shapes of the family members. It looked like the two parents, maybe the little boy had run off somewhere. Hadn't she heard the father telling him to go somewhere? She couldn't remember. It didn't matter. She was happy to see the family, she almost smiled. The tallest shape, obviously the father whose name escaped her, turned in her direction. He must have heard her. He began walking closer. Her mouth opened to call to him. Nothing but a low groan escaped her. The man’s gait slowed considerably. He was more cautious now. He was getting closer. She could see him now and he could see her. She thought he would smile at the sight of her but instead he looked surprised and…sad? Why would he be sad?

After all, she was… What was her name? Why couldn't she remember it? She raised an arm to grab his hand and saw him raising a hand in return. She thought he was going to wave until she saw the gun in his hand. He sighed and pulled the trigger.

 

Rick heard something in the forest not far from where he and Lori were standing. 

“Stay here, I’m gonna go check it out.”

Lori nodded and watched him go. Rick entered the trees and saw a walker shambling toward him. It looked like it had a busted leg or ankle, he couldn't tell which. It was dragging its right foot behind it. As he got closer he could see it was a teenage girl and he couldn't believe his eyes. 

That sweet neighbor girl, Rose Tuttle, was the walker that was shuffling his way. He heard her groan at him and slowed his walk. He had never been so emotional about a walker before. But he supposed that was because he had never personally known a walker before he killed it. He could see her raising a hand to him and he thought she might have been reaching for help. He thought that until he saw her jaw moving, almost like she was chewing. He knew she wasn't the Rose Tuttle he had once known. He lifted the hand that held his gun and he put the poor girl out of her misery.

 

“Rick, what happened?”

Lori couldn't understand why Rick looked so upset about having to put down a walker.

“That walker…it was Rose, that girl that used to babysit Carl for us.”

Lori gasped and covered her mouth. She had been hoping and praying that Rose had survived. But no, that sweet girl that Carl loved to death, the daughter that she’d never had, she had died and her husband had just shot her to put her out of her misery.

Her name had been Rose Tuttle.


End file.
